(Senior) Program Manager - Defense Innovation & Delivery

Orcrist is building a next generation data intelligence platform using cutting-edge technologies. We're handling petabyte-scale data with sub-second queries. Our product is a Kubernetes-based platform delivered as B2B SaaS or as a self-hosted on-prem solution, including air-gapped deployments. We enable customers across defense, law enforcement, and enterprise to turn mission-critical data into actionable intelligence.

Role

We're looking for a (Senior) Program Manager to join our Business/Government Development team. In this role, you'll own the entire path from a prioritized opportunity to a successfully delivered and scalable customer program. You will translate customer needs into concrete project concepts and prototypes, leading delivery across defense, security, and public-sector environments while bridging the gap between capture, product, and operational users.

What you'll do

• Convert prioritized leads and customer needs into concrete, funded project opportunities together with Government Development, Business Development, and Product.
• Work directly with public-sector customers and operational users to understand complex operational problems, user needs, and procurement logic.
• Structure and coordinate prototypes, demonstrators, minimum viable products (MVPs), and pilot projects with clear test scenarios and decision milestones.
• Take end-to-end responsibility for program delivery post-award, managing scope, timeline, budget, technical implementation, dependencies, and risks.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with users, decision-makers, procurement bodies, and external technology or consortium partners.
• Document customer feedback and operational insights systematically, translating them into product decisions and reusable platform capabilities.
• Establish binding governance, reporting, and decision-making structures to ensure contractual obligations and customer expectations are consistently met.

About you

• 6+ years of relevant professional experience in program management, project management, innovation management, solution delivery, or technical business development.
• Proven track record of converting early leads or customer needs into funded projects and delivering complex, cross-functional customer programs.
• Demonstrable experience in defense, security, government, or comparably regulated public-sector environments.
• Experience structuring pilot projects or prototypes with technical teams and operational users, especially where requirements are not fully defined upfront.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong ownership, structured execution, and the ability to connect strategic objectives with operational delivery.
• Business fluent German and English (C1+).
• Willingness to travel regularly (approx. 30-40% within Germany and Europe).
• Work authorization in Germany and willingness to undergo a security clearance.

What We Offer

• Remote-first, Germany-wide: Work from wherever you do your best work, with regular team gatherings in Berlin and other off-site locations.
• Flexibility by default: Flexible working hours help you make work fit your life.
• Your setup, your way: Get a personal home-office equipment budget to create a workspace that works for you.
• 30 days of vacation: Take the time you need to recharge and come back with fresh energy.
• Keep growing: We invest in your personal and professional development.
• Get rewarded for impact: Performance bonuses are tied to agreed objectives and key results.
• A warm welcome: Every new team member gets a welcome goodie bag.
• Good people, good times: From summer and Christmas parties to regular team gatherings, we make time to celebrate together.
• A mission that matters: Work on challenges with tangible impact on public safety and national security.